November 3rd 2018

Day 2 with Craig & Steve and the weather was somewhat better as we headed out. The winds had diminished considerably but the rain had not. In fact we were suppose to have heavier precipitation than yesterday and it was forecasted to last all day long. To make matters worse, the temps were also going to fall throughout the day and snow or freezing rain was a possibility. Just another day in paradise!

We arrived at the water just after 8:00, ready to do battle with some bigger bass today. With the rain falling, we raced to the first spot to fish. Both Craig & Steve were ready for anything and didn’t care about the weather, as long as the fish would bite. Well it didn’t take long for a confirmation as Steve slammed a real beauty in only a couple of minutes. First fish and it was bigger than anything he had caught yesterday! He also managed a couple more nice ones in the next 30 minutes and Craig did too. They were both into some real beauties and the day had just begun!

After fishing this section for a little while and landing several fish, I switched them both to drop shot rigs and relocated. The rain had started to fall a little heavier now and the winds were blowing worse as well, but they didn’t care. The fish were biting and nothing else mattered! Steve was into a fish almost right away and it was another giant. This looked like it was going to be his day! Each time we started in a new area he was into big fish. Can’t complain about that!

I was working deeper water now and it seemed like someone was always hooked up. Both Steve & Craig didn’t care about the wind and rain in their face as they were slamming big smallies. For about 3 or 4 hours they hammered fish and they were all quality. In fact at one point, it seemed like Craig was hooked up on every cast. He got into a groove and could do no wrong! Although Steve was catching, Craig was putting on a clinic!

The conditions had now taken a turn for the worse and the temperatures were falling. You could feel the air getting colder and despite the rain letting up, I was worried that the bite was over. Areas that were on fire had now gone dead and I wasn’t marking fish anymore. All of a sudden the winds grew and it was time to go! Huge waves were upon us in seconds and I knew they were only going to get worse. They were scheduled to blow at more than 35 knots from the NW and I didn’t want to find out if they were right! We packed up and headed back to take out!

We may have only gotten to fish for about 6 hours, but they landed loads of huge bass. We had beaten Mother Nature and endured more miserable conditions once again! This fall has to go down as the worst I’ve ever seen and it doesn’t seem to be letting up, anytime soon! Warmer air temps are forecasted for this coming week but hurricane winds will be tagging along as well. I will have to pick & chose where to fish once again due to her hateful attitude! I just hope that she lets up by the end of the week as Craig will be back with Herm and I know where they will want to go! Back to the land of big & plenty!!

November 2nd 2018

What do you get after a flat calm day without any rain? A perfectly good “Nor Easter” of course! Craig & Steve were the lucky ones and we headed east. With winds gusts predicted at 35 knots and torrential rain, there was no other choice! This would be the first time in two years that I launched there after the ramp became private. Hopefully it would be worth the cost!

Even the river had big rollers when we arrived as the winds were howling against the current. I was going to have to find calmer places for them to be able to fish!

The run was probably the worst I’d ever seen for this area and 3 footers were the average. Fortunately our first spot was somewhat protected from the wind and they were able to fish somewhat comfortably, but in the rain. It took me a little time to figure out where the fish were positioned with the high water but eventually I found the sweet spot and Craig began slaying the bass. Steve eventually got in the game as well after I changed up his bait. I originally had him throwing something bright with the stained water and soon realized they wanted it dark.

I refined the area and changed their angle several times, getting both Steve & Craig several more fish. Although most were small, it was still action and very welcomed on a miserable day like this!

After seeing below average fish caught for a while, I decided to make a short move in hopes of bigger. As soon as I pulled into the new area, Craig was locked up on his first cast. As luck would have it, this was the best fish so far! I soon netted what turned out to be the largest fish of the day! They both managed several other nice ones from the area but eventually we had to move because of the waves. The winds had picked up with the rain and we were being blown around too much for them to detect the bites. I had no choice but to try another place!

As soon as we arrived on the new spot, Craig did the same thing once again and was tight to another decent fish. Too bad it was the only one landed though and we continued spot fishing different areas. Each time we made a move, someone was into a fish quickly but there was never any concentration.

With the winds being relentless, I decided to try an area that was sheltered just to relax for a while. Fortunately it held fish but unfortunately they were all walleye and sauger. Steve was into them pretty good here but I wanted bass! We eventually made another move to an area nearby but were shut out. In fact the next several places were pretty much the same as we found out. Not only was the water high but the further we got down river the dirtier and colder the water became. I realized quickly that if we were going to have any chance at all I was going to have to go back up river and remain in the areas we were getting fish from.

The remainder of the day wasn’t nearly as good as the morning, Although they did manage a few more fish, we had to make many moves in order to get bit. By 3:30 we unanimously decided to pull the plug and head back. The conditions had gotten worse throughout the day and were actually colder than when we had started. These fish had just shut down!

Our decision to go out east was our only choice today. We had made the best of an unfishable day anywhere else and they had gotten into a bunch of decent bass & walleye. Hopefully tomorrow will be somewhat better weather wise allowing me to go where I want. These guys are use to wet, windy conditions with me but it’s always nice to have at least one decent day to fish. Crossing our fingers for tomorrow already!!

November 1st 2018

A last minute outing had Darren & I fishing locally for bass & walleye. We were doing a half day and meeting around 10:00. Flat calm conditions greeted us for the ride as we headed across the lake to fish.

I had hoped to be the only one in the area but with weather like this, wasn’t surprised to see other boats out. It wasn’t raining and the lake was a mirror causing many others to take advantage of the tiny window we had been having lately.

We began by slow trolling an area that had been producing, but weren’t fortunate enough to have any hits. After almost an hour of washing lures, I moved slightly shallower and immediately got into a few smallies. They weren’t walleye but they were good fish!

I kept searching for gold and eventually Darren locked up on a nice one in the same area. As soon s he released the over, two other boats started to get closer. They eventually were trolling so close that I just pulled the plug and left the spot all together. I can’t believe this shit is still happening!

We made a long run and settled on a deep rock pile that should have produced more. My first cast had me locked up with a nice smallie on a drop shot and I thought we were going to just hammer them. Darren’s first cast in the same area did exactly the same, but unfortunately his fish came off soon after. It seemed like they were here but that was all she wrote! We tried for about 30 minutes longer without even another bite. Time to relocate once again!

I hadn’t moved far but was searching the area, looking for bait and fish. With water temps still around 47 degrees, there wasn’t much. Eventually I came across an old waypoint that had held fish in the past and we made a few casts to it. Almost immediately I was locked up on a walleye and it turned out to be nice keeper too. Once again though, we never saw another fish and decided to move!

I ran back to the area I had left because of the other two boats and was marking some good fish. It wasn’t long before we were into another really nice smallie from this flat. If I could have remained here earlier I know that we would have done very well. Too bad we had to leave so as not to educate the other two boats!

After making a few passes, I decided to try drop shotting the same place and hooked another walleye on the third cast. These fish were here but not really biting well in the flat calm conditions we had. We covered a good amount of water afterwards but never really had another bite. I thought we would try one last troll and managed another smallie before just pulling out all together. We would attempt to hit one last open water weed flat to see if anything was there.

When I arrived I kind of knew what we were going to see but idled over the area regardless. It was pretty bare with only small amounts of vegetation remaining and not much sign of life. Flat water always does this and I wasn’t surprised to see it looking like a ghost town! We tried regardless but not for more than about 5 minutes before we were done.

Although we did manage to boat some nice fish, the flat calm conditions weren’t really helpful. One day earlier I would have been happy to see this as I could have fished sturgeon. Today, not so much! Despite everything, it still was great to be able to get out on the water without a hurricane or monsoon. Lately that’s all I have seen and some days, both at the same time! I know the weather will be back to its old tricks again tomorrow and I will have both wind and rain to enjoy. I guess I should just be grateful for having at least one day without being tortured. I know there will be plenty more not so pleasant ones ahead in the remaining weeks to come!!

October 31st 2018

Last day of October and a scheduled day with Dan to fish for sturgeon. Unfortunately “Mother Nature” Has a way of getting in the final word and today she did just that. All day rain wouldn’t have been a problem but the 25 knot winds predicted would be an issue for anchoring. We opted for plan B and headed elsewhere for smallies instead!

We hit the water about 8:30 just as it started raining and I knew we were in for a real treat. Neither of us cared about the wet weather, as long as the fish cooperated!

I arrived on the first spot and it didn’t take Dan long to hook a good bass on a jig. It also didn’t take him long to hook his second and third fish too! Feeling rather confident, he missed the next two and then it began! I switched up and immediately started landing fish as well. In fact I boated 5 in a row and let the games begin! It didn’t really matter as today was a fun day of fishing for both of us and we were just hoping to catch as many big fish as we could.

After covering plenty of water with these baits, I moved out a little deeper and decided to try some drop shotting. Almost immediately I was locked up again and this time it was a really big one. Several casts later I had another one and it was almost as big! Dan immediately switched up and was now tossing the same rig, hoping for another fish. Unfortunately he wasn’t as fortunate and went several hours without even a bite! Despite changing several times to different baits, all he could do was watch me catching. I didn’t kill em but did manage to hook many more each time we moved spots! I was locked on one style of soft plastic and the fish were too! Despite trying to get Dan to change, he kept switching to various other baits without any luck. Eventually he just cracked and gave in!

After several hours without a bite, his first cast had him finally hooked up! Not only was he into a good bass but it turned out to be one of the biggest of the day and his personal best. I was just glad that he was back in the game and had a real good one in the net. Once weighed, we realized that it was definitely bigger than his previous best and worthy of several pics.

We resumed fishing afterwards and continued catching more bass on drop shot rigs. Although none were as big as Dan’s last one, there were several pretty close. I even managed to bring a nice walleye into the boat in the last few minutes we fished. Shortly after 3:30 we both had enough with the all day rain and just packed it in.

Although the weather could have been better, we were still glad to have been on the water. The fishing wasn’t fast & furious but the bites we did have were good ones. One fish in particular really made the day for Dan! He had hoped to catch a bigger one today and that he did! Overall, we wouldn’t have changed it for anything!!

October 29th 2018

First day with no wind in a while and I headed to fish sturgeon with Michael & his two sons, Shawn & Brandon. They had fished plenty, but never for these beasts. I was sure we would get them today!

After idling around for a while, I finally settled on an area that showed some signs of life. With the anchor easily in place, the rods were rigged and the wait began. Unfortunately we were in a weed drifting area and after 15 minutes were forced to move to another spot. It was next to impossible to keep the lines clean!

Our second stop looked promising and weed free enough to produce fish. I don’t think we were here for 5 minutes before I set into some weight. Brandon was up first but needed a little help from his brother to hold the rod. This fish was heavy and it was a struggle for him to fight the fish! It surely didn’t feel like any bass they had ever hooked into before! This was the real deal and I was glad they were experiencing it firsthand today!

After close to ten minutes the combined pair finally brought the fish to net and everyone was in awe at its size. It was definitely bigger than anything they had ever caught Brandon had reeled in a fish about half his size in body weight, with a little help from his bro of course! We shot a bunch of pics quickly before the release and reset the lines looking for more.

Shawn was up next and a short while later I loaded the rod again. Now it was his turn to feel the power of the beast! This fish took plenty of line, several times! Although it never jumped, the fight was still great. This fish was powerful and the runs were amazing. After 5 minutes or so he finally brought it to net and the battle was over. The first part anyway as now he had to hold it for the pics! Moments later it was returned unharmed and she swam off perfectly.

We reset all the lines again and now it was their father’s turn next. I really wanted everyone to feel the power of these fish and hoped for another bite. As luck would have it in these conditions, it wasn’t a problem. We may have waited longer than I had hoped but we eventually got bit. Michael was now tight to one of his own and loving it. His fish even gave us a great jump close to the boat and although not as big as the previous two, still a good fish. He brought it to net in a little under 5 minutes and we shot several more pics. Now they had all landed one, but I still wanted more!

After remaining in one area for a while with nothing to show for our efforts but drive byes and one carp, I made another move. We reset the lines in a new section, awaiting another bite. The winds had started to pick up around 1:30 and now it wasn’t as easy to see the bites. We did manage to see one however and I reared back on more weight. Shawn got the rod as his brother was the one who landed the carp earlier. This fish acted small in the beginning but soon grew! As it neared the boat it became much heavier and at one point went around the anchor line. I literally had to pass the rod under the rope and it wasn’t easy! The fish had done a 180 and was 100 feet behind the boat as well. We were lucky to still have it on! At one point it went ballistic, rolling and twisting under the water and the line popped. Although it still remained hooked, it felt more like dead weight now. I knew that his fish had rolled in the line, tying itself up in a knot. He was now fighting the weight of the fish and the current at the same time. He was actually pulling it backwards! In fact when I finally netted the beast, it had been re hooked in the body. That must have happened when the line popped during the crazy rolls earlier! He was lucky to have landed it under these circumstances! We quickly shot several pics and returned her to where she belonged.

Time was getting on now and the winds were creating two footers where we were, making it impossible to see the bites. I instructed them on how to hold the rods and minutes later I felt a bite. This time when I set into the fish, I passed the rod to Brandon hoping that he would land his last fish of the day. I also hoped that the fight would warm him up as he had been cold for most of the day. The misty rain and now windy conditions didn’t help but the battle might! His brother helped him less this time and he eventually had the fish to the boat. Unfortunately it sounded and ran out at least 50 feet of line, extending his time on the rod. He was definitely warming up now and minutes later, glad it was finally in the net. We had also drifted considerably while he was fighting the fish and the anchor wasn’t holding anymore. Unanimously they decided to end on a high. We packed everything up after the pics and returned to the ramp.

Today couldn’t have worked out any better with everyone landing their first sturgeon ever. We could have switched up anytime to bass & walleye but they chose to remain with a fish that they may never target again. In the end it was definitely a good choice with 5 good fish being caught. They also saw the largest fish that swim in the St. Lawrence & caught the biggest fish of their lives in the process. We had ended on a high before the winds picked up too bad and exited the lake just in time. This was a perfect ending to a great day on the water and nobody got hurt. It was a win, win all around!!